Juu Sai Madoushi Chapter 31 (Patreon)

Chapter 31 A Picture Book in the Attic

The next day it rained heavily.

The pounding downpour muddied the sea. Naturally, no one was out on the beach.

"Ugh, what a shame. It's such a beautiful ocean..."

Ferris lamented as she looked out the window of her villa.

Just when she thought he could finally enjoy swimming in peace after defeating the vein eater that had been doing something bad to the volcano, this weather came along. It would be a shame to spend her precious vacation doing nothing.

"Do you really want to swim so badly?"

Alicia asks.

"I want to swim! Because I had so much, so much fun swimming with Alicia and Jeanette! I want Jeanette to teach me how to swim again!"

Jeanette was inspired by Ferris' words.

"If you insist so much, then... we have no choice! We'll just have to do it, rain or shine!"

" There's a storm out there!"

"I don't care if it's a storm or a tornado, I'm going to beat the storm just to see Ferris smile!"

She was so motivated.

To be honest, Jeanette's ability to swim when she was fighting off the Vein Eater was a bit of a fluke, so she wasn't sure if she could teach Ferris how to swim properly. For now, Jeanette just wants to enjoy the bliss of pulling Ferris' cute hands and making her flail her feet.

Alicia chuckled.

"I think it would be suicide, to go into the ocean in this weather. Let's just stay in the villa today and keep quiet."

"But what should we do?"

Ferris tilted her head, if she was at a magic school, she could go to the library and satisfy her intellectual curiosity, but at someone's villa, she didn't know where everything was, and she felt like she might offend them if she searched for books without permission.

"I heard that there are all kinds of toys and books in the attic here. My mother used to come to this villa a lot when she was a child, and she said that she keeps all the books and other things that she used to play with in the attic."

"Your mother's toys, Alicia-san?

"Yes. She said I can use them if I want to, so let's see if I can find them."

"Yes! I'm excited, it's like a treasure hunt!"

Ferris happily followed Alicia as she walked out of the room.

Jeanette chased after them, trying to keep up with them.

"Oh...by the way, Alicia's mother..."

She muttered in a small voice.

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"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa... there's a lot of dust in here."

"It's pitch black!"

"Wait... I'll turn on the lantern now."

The light from Alicia's lantern illuminated the area, and the scene in the attic came to life.

Things, things, things. Furniture, books, staffs, swords, armor, clothes. Furniture, books, staffs, swords, armor, clothes... all sorts of things were stacked up, forming piles here and there, filling the attic.

Dust glittered in the streaks of lantern light and danced around them. A musty smell, and one that seemed to have been brewed over time, tickled the girls' noses.

" It looks like they haven't cleaned up for a long time... I'm kinda tempted to go back to my room."

"It's not beautiful... right? Maybe we should go downstairs and look for some books..."

Alicia and Jeanette, both genuine ladies of the house, were frightened.

Ferris, however.

"Wow, wow, wow! It's a treasure trove! Alicia and Jeanette, let's try to find something!"

She was so excited. Having worked in the muddy depths of the magic stone mines, the attic didn't feel so dirty, and she was more interested in the unknown presence that lurked in this space.

Alicia and Jeanette looked at each other.

"If Ferris says so..."

"It can't be helped, can it!"

They both chuckle. Alicia and Jeanette have become much closer than in the past, but Jeanette feels uncomfortable about their relationship.

--What is it? What's wrong with me to be smiling at my rival?

She was just writhing in shame.

Alicia proceeded to the back of the attic, illuminating her surroundings with a lantern.

"Well then, let's do our best. I was told that Mother's toys are in the White Wardrobe, but..."

"Oh, isn't that it! It's a pure White Wardrobe!"

Ferris pointed cheerfully.

A child's wardrobe with a cute design. The boards were painted white all over, making it stand out in the cluttered attic. The cat's paws and metal carvings were smooth and sleek, and had yet to lose their beauty.

Jeanette looks at the wardrobe with admiration.

"It's so beautiful... I want it in my room."

"If you want it, Jeanette, I can give it to you. It's probably the only piece of furniture I'm allowed to have at my disposal."

"No, that's not right! It was Alicia's mother's..."

Jeanette clammed up.

Alicia shrugged and laughed.

"...Don't worry about it. I wonder what toys Mother used to play with?"

Ferris takes them from Alicia and lays them out on the floor.

The contents of the drawer are a variety of things: a stuffed animal, a doll, a board game, a book, some kind of musical instrument, a wand, some kind of obscure tool.

"Oh, this picture book is so cute!"

Ferris caught sight of a picture book. It had a splendid binding, excellent cover art, and a weighty feel that was hard to believe for a picture book. It may have been read many times, and there were some scratches here and there, but it still had an aura that attracted her attention.

From either side of Ferris, Alicia and Jeanette peered at the picture book.

"It's called 'The Happy Bear,' isn't it?"

"It's kind of a childish title."

"Oh, it looks interesting... but maybe I am just being childish..."

"No, no, that's... Ferris is fine!"

To be honest, Ferris was a child, and her childishness was adorable, but Jeanette felt like she might get hurt if she said it outright, so she chose her words carefully.

Seeing Jeanette's flustered look, Alicia chuckled.

"Yes, that wouldn't be a problem, Ferris. I think I'd like to see what's inside for a bit."

"Yes! I'm so excited!"

Ferris opened the book.

Immediately, a bright light flooded the pages of the book. The light shone fiercely through the attic, pouring down on the girls and overwhelming their retinas. The wind that blew out of the picture book raged, blowing away the piles of luggage in the area.

"Eh, what's with the light?"

"Oh, I think it's dangerous! Everyone, run!

"What the...?"

The three screams echoed out.

With a roaring, swirling wind, Ferris and the others were sucked into the storybook.

In the attic where the girls had disappeared, only the lantern was lying, and the area was silent as if it were a lie.